Preceded by Jimm Hendren Preceded by Michael Fitzhugh Succeeded by Thomas Gean | Preceded by Robert Dawson Name Paul Holmes Role Judge | |
Paul Kinloch Holmes III (born November 10, 1951) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
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Early life and education
Holmes was born in Newport, Arkansas on November 10, 1951. Holmes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1978.
Professional career
From 1978 until 1993, Holmes worked in private legal practice in Fort Smith, Arkansas. From 1993 until 2001, Holmes was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. From 2001 until his appointment to the federal bench, Holmes worked in private legal practice in Fort Smith.
Federal judicial service
In December 2009, Arkansas senators Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln recommended Holmes to become a federal district judge. On April 28, 2010, President Obama nominated Holmes to the seat on the Western District of Arkansas that was vacated when Judge Robert T. Dawson took senior status on August 14, 2009. Holmes' nomination lapsed at the end of 2010, and he was renominated by Obama on January 5, 2011. The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted to advance Holmes' nomination to the full United States Senate on February 3, 2011. The United States Senate confirmed Holmes' nomination on February 7, 2011 by a vote of 95-0. He received his commission on February 8, 2011. He became Chief Judge on February 14, 2012, succeeding Jimm Larry Hendren.